The Cable Show 2011: MSA's Software to Support Sale of Canoe's Solutions

Management Science Associates, Inc. (MSA) and Canoe Ventures, the advanced television group that is backed by the leading U.S. cable companies, have announced that MSA's broadcast and cable media software will support the sale of Canoe's interactive TV (ITV) solutions.

The integration of Canoe functionality with MSA's buy management software will help automate and streamline the sale of the ITV advertising, a move that Canoe hopes will speed the adoption of ITV ad systems.

"MSA's support for the sales of Canoe's ITV solutions via their broadcast and cable media solutions software is another major step forward in making ITV a mainstream part of the television business," noted David Verklin, CEO of Canoe Ventures in a statement. "Canoe is committed to introducing advanced television solutions that are easy for programming networks to sell and simple for agencies and advertisers to buy. MSA is an international market leader; their creation of easy-to-use and intuitive Canoe functionality within their buy management systems demonstrates just how far advanced TV solutions like Canoe have already come."

Canoe national ITV platform is available in more than 20 million households overall and is running in 18 of the top 25 DMAs and is part of a major push by the operators backing Canoe to expand their advanced advertising sales.

Canoe's first ITV solution, RFI (Request for Information), allows viewers to request information, samples or coupons during commercial breaks on national network inventory, by using the cable remote control.

"The advancement of the television platform with interactive solutions and the new revenue streams this offers is truly an exciting development for our clients," added Michael J. McGuire, VP of MSA's Media Division in a statement. "MSA is committed to providing support for ITV and other emerging forms of advertising that offer opportunities for our cable and broadcast clients to stand apart in today's increasingly competitive media environment."